《Nowhere but Everywhere》


 Prologue

    ¡°You¡¯ve heard about the night imp?¡± A middle-aged guard said to his fellow comrade on duty as they stood above the walls of an enormous magical metropolis. High rise buildings lit up by mysterious lights of different hues could be seen. It was a jungle of structures that overlap with one another.


    ¡°Who?" The other guard who was far younger than the old guard only raised his eyebrows in ignorance.


    ¡°The night imp! He¡¯s the new guy that¡¯s posted on the wanted list in the barracks.¡±


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s not really our jurisdiction to actively search for criminals...that¡¯s the job of the Glaives...so I don¡¯t really try to remember the faces.¡± The young guard answered while giggling like a moron.


    Without any warning, the middle-aged guard slapped the back of the young guard¡¯s head.


    ¡°You fool! It¡¯s also the city guard¡¯s duty to remember those faces in the chances of us seeing those wanted criminals while on patrol! I know you¡¯re fresh off training but these things you should have already learned!¡± The middle-aged guard bellowed. His face showed intense disapproval.


    ¡°Ouch! Jeez old man settle down! Take it easy...You¡¯re fired up for someone who¡¯s only a guard at that age.¡± The young guard ended his sentence in a low volume murmur.


    ¡°What was that!?¡±


    ¡°N-nothing! So anyway, who¡¯s the Night Imp?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± The middle-aged guard returned to his previous guard posture. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t know the answer to that ourselves. We only know that he is reported to be a Tiefling male with red skin and a thief¡¯s attire that has caused all sorts of problems.¡±


    ¡°What kind of problems?¡± The young guard¡¯s curiosity seems piqued.


    ¡°Well...he¡¯s reported stealing valuable goods from...some important people in the city. Obviously, those people want their things back and their status allows them to push every security division in the city to look for him. Although it¡¯s not clear what his motivations are or who he¡¯s working for...If you ask me, he''s probably one of the mafia''s cronies. Nevertheless, keep an eye out for people who fit that description.¡±


    ¡°I see¡ª¡±


    In the middle of their conversation, another guard approached their post on the wall.


    ¡°Hey, Cole.¡± The fresh guard called out. It was the young guard who turned in response to his greeting.


    ¡°Ah, Jeffrey.¡± Cole, the young guard replied in a monotone.


    ¡°It¡¯s my shift now. Go to the station to clock out.¡± Jeffrey was a man in his 30s with blonde hair.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Ah, alright.¡±


    ¡°Before that, what were you two discussing?¡± Jeffrey asked.


    It was the middle-aged guard who answered. ¡°The night imp. The new one in the wanted list. This boy here doesn¡¯t know who he is.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Him. Well, it¡¯s another tiefling criminal, not really much to say. ¡± Jeffrey sneered with disdain. ¡°Their whole fucking race is heretical, what do you expect? We should kick them out the damn kingdom.¡±


    The middle-aged guard frowned to Jeffrey¡¯s words. ¡°Our personal opinion on them is not relevant. Just be sure to keep an eye out for people matching the description while we look over the city.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I¡¯ll probably inspect every tiefling I see. They¡¯re all probably in on the night imp¡¯s scheme.¡± Jeffrey pushed Cole out of the way so that he could stand on guard. ¡°Go on now, rookie. Go to sleep. You have an early shift in the morning. Don¡¯t stay up all night fucking whores. ¡®Ight?¡±


    Cole stayed silent and simply nodded before walking over the staircase of the tall wall.


    The middle-aged man shook his head in disapproval. ¡°You¡¯re really something Jeffrey.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jeffrey shrugged his shoulder as if he¡¯s clueless about what he did. ¡°I just spoke the unbiased truth, Bruce.¡±


    Bruce, the middle-aged man, clicked his tongue. ¡°Whatever. Just focus on our duties.¡± He returned his attention to outside the walls where there are also some houses and farms of citizens.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Jeffrey also did the same before he noticed something moving in the skies. ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s an owl.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°See you later, Cole. Have a nice night.¡± A guard on watch at the barracks waved Cole the young guard goodbye.


    ¡°See you, Frank.¡± Cole replied and left the barracks.


    Cole walked the streets well past midnight. It was not actually dark like one would expect. On the contrary, it was relatively well lit. Street lights with magic crystals inside of them illuminated the sidewalks. The road themselves were not of simple dirt and gravel but rather paved with bricks. The buildings rose high and if one were to look up, towering structures could be seen filling the horizon. The capital city of King''s Crown of the Kingdom of Raviar is certainly one of the most well-developed cities of the continent with its advancement in magic technology and glorious infrastructure.


    The streets were also not empty. People still roam the streets here and there and carriages past by a few times. Although it was unclear whether these people of the night had good intentions to roam the streets. Cole walked for a while to a quiet area beforemaking a sharp turn into one of the many alleyways. Unlike the main street, the alleys were lacking in illumination and showed only an ominous shadow, making people avoid it like the plague at night in fear of the monsters that may be lurking in it.


    Cole stopped after he dove inside the alley¡¯s shadow and was invisible to the eyes of the people on the street.


    ¡° ¡®night imp¡¯, what a terrible name.¡± Cole smiled before putting his hand on his chest. A purple light emerged that enveloped his entire figure. After the purple haze subsided, he was another being. He was not even a humankin anymore. Red skin with two long horns sticking out his forehead. Black eyes with no pupils, making one feel as if they¡¯re staring into the abyss if they were to gaze at it. His city guard leather armor morphed into a black thief robe with a rapier and a crossbow on his back.


    Suddenly, the cooing of a bird could be heard overhead. It was a bird in itsnatural time zone as it was nocturnal. An owl swooped in from above and landed on the tiefling¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°What did you manage to find?¡± The tiefling asked the owl.


    The owl¡¯s eyes shined purple.


    ¡°I see. Then we better get moving before the sun rises.¡± The tiefling raised his hood to cover his head and disappeared deeper into the dark alleyway.

 Chapter 1

    ¡°The item?¡± A woman blindfolded by a piece of black cloth on her face held her hand out to a man hiding under a hood. She was a human with dark hair that seemed to hide an attractive face under her mask. She was sitting behind a desk near a large door.


    ¡°Here¡± The hooded man presented a package in the shape of a locked wooden box to the blindfolded woman.


    ¡°Good work, Kadota. I will bring it to Father later.  you should rest now.¡± The woman smiled and stored the package under the desk.


    ¡°Thank you, Valina, I will. I have an early shift today.¡± Kadota nodded.


    ¡°Oh? Which identity?¡± Valina tilted her head in curiosity.


    ¡°A city guard. It¡¯s a new one I just made. I figured being one would help me learn rumors and hearsays...although I don''t know for how long I want to maintain it... I¡¯ll tell you about it later, Valina. Good night.¡± Kadota excused himself and walked deeper inside the building.


    ¡°Good night,¡± Valina replied as Kadota walked away.


    The interior of this building was quite peculiar. Large numbers of doors seem to line the hallway with no single open room. There was no living room nor dining room. Kadota found a staircase at the end of the long hallway and made his way upstairs. The sight didn¡¯t change. Another long hallway and a staircase at the end of it, almost identical to the first floor if not for the lack of an entrance. Kadota did not take the staircase again to the third floor and stopped in front of one of the rooms. All of the rooms were numbered and he stood in front of number 46 before inserting a key and entering the room.


    Kadota walked inside to reveal a one-room apartment complete with a door leading to a bathroom and various furniture like a bed and desks present. It was not a room without any personality. On the contrary, the amount of it was quite overwhelming. Various posters of events, paintings, and sketches were hung on the walls or littered throughout the floor.


    ¡°Another job finished.¡± Kadota started to take off all of his equipment and reveal his true form.


    Kadota is a tiefling. A humanoid species thought to be the descendants of the devils with horns on their head and a long tail on their behinds. His red skin would terrify children and his pure black eyes with a distinct lack of pupils would turn away anyone that has the misfortune of meeting his gaze.


    ¡°Father still has not told us what he needs with those packages I stole for him.¡± He muttered to himself.


    He wore a simple black garment before laying down on the bed.


    ¡°I have assignments until next month at least¡­.¡± He sighed. ¡° I need some time off. I haven¡¯t watched a play in ages.¡±


    Kadota stood up from the bed to reach his work desk where various notes were strewn about. He sat down and picked up a quill and a single sheet of paper. The paper was not empty, he was continuing on something that he worked on before. On the bottom right of the paper, the number 52 was written, seemingly indicating the page number. It did not seem that it was a conventional piece of literature that he was writing, but rather a chronological description of events coupled with the dialogue of characters written one line at a time. Besides the paper he was currently writing in, a stack of paper was also there. The top page reads ¡°Pink Skies and White Flowers¡±.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He wrote for a while before stopping. Kadota ruffled his hair in frustration as his hands stopped moving the quill.


    ¡°How do I introduce the villain?¡±


    Kadota muttered words to himself before giving up and going to bed again. This time, he shut his eyes and traveled to dreamland.


    <hr>


    ¡°Hey! Cole! Don¡¯t nod off at work you bloody wanker!" A bellowing voice of a man shouted to a young human male with blonde hair.


    "Huh? Ah, don''t worry! I''m alert! I''m sorry Captain Jack!" Cole shook off his daydreaming state and stood upright.


    "Don''t let me catch you do that again if you don''t want a double midnight shift!" Captain Jack, a man in his 30s with a magnificent mustache reprimanded Cole.


    "Roger that, Captain! Won''t happen again!" Cole saluted.


    Captain Jack frowned and left without replying.


    Cole, or rather, Kadota, sighed in relief after his captain''s departure. He was currently tasked with being one of the guards outside of a nobleman''s mansion. It was quite often that nobles have their own knights that they hire but this particular noble seemed to not be influential enough to do that and thus the King provides these types of low nobility with protection from the city guards. Of course, their low status still allowed them to have such a thing as a mansion, Kadota thought, which was something out of the reach of mere peasants. So perhaps it was not so bad after all.


    It''s currently quite early in the morning and the city was basked with premature sunlight that only illuminated some parts of the metropolis and cast shadows of tall buildings on the streets. As King''s Crown is one of the most advanced cities in the kingdom, many businesses and workers have already started their daily routine. Shops were opening and people were commuting in a new technology called trams, where a large carriage that runs on tracks carry large numbers of people at a time¡ªcourtesy of the artificers hired by the city.


    "Five hours to go...." Kadota sighed.


    Suddenly, a young boy that separated from the crowd approached Kadota. He noticed the boy and bent down.


    "Are you lost, boy?" Kadota made a warm smile.


    "I am. My father is a butcher from downing street. We just lost our kitties to the worg." The boy made a sad expression and delivered his words with an equally sorrowful voice.


    Kadota''s face turned serious. He neared his face to the boy as if he was about to whisper something.


    "What''s the message?" Kadota whispered.


    "Father wants you to go inside the mansion and find the appointment book of Baron Vasquez. Don''t steal. Just copy the last two weeks to this paper." The young boy handed a piece of paper to Kadota. "End of message." The boy finished talking.


    Kadota stood up and started to point in a direction.


    "You see that intersection, boy? Your father''s shop should be there if you turn left. Don''t worry, you''re not lost." Kadota said in a cheerful manner.


    "Hurray! Thank you, mister!" The young boy quickly ran off.


    Kadota inserted the piece of paper to a pouch on his belt. He turned around to gaze at the mansion behind him, which was protected by a wall.


    "Well, anything is better than just standing here." He smirked a devilish smile.

 Chapter 2

    Captain Jack started his cyclical patrol over the perimeter again. He does this every hour to make sure that all the guards are still outside the Baron Vasquez''s mansion while also acting as a visual deterrence to any potential intruders as he tours the streets with his squad.


    He made the rounds until he arrived at the location where he scolded the sleepy newcomer that he saw before.


    "Oh?" Captain Jack interjected with a tone that was not expecting what he is witnessing.


    What he saw was Cole, the new guard, standing upright at alert with perfect stillness. This was unusual for Captain Jack as he''s a highly-experienced guard. His surprise came from the fact that while they might have undergone training, he would often notice a slight wobbliness in the guarding posture of inexperienced guards. However, what Cole was displaying here is a posture that the Royal Glaives under the command of the Imperial Majesty himself and are guarding the royal palace themselves would possess


    "I-Impressive....very impressive..." Captain Jack muttered as he looked at Cole top to bottom.


    "I see that you have taken my warning seriously." He continued.


    Cole did not answer and stayed perfectly still. His eyes monitored the crowd silently like a feline that would notice any slightest movement of aggression from passerby''s.


    "No answer? Hmm... You are in the zone, I presume. " Captain Jack smiled proudly and twirled his mustache. " Very well, then. I shall move on. Keep up the good work, boy. You have potential! I shall recommend you to the higher-ups!"


    Captain Jack signaled his squad to march again with him. Before leaving, some of the other guards also stared at Cole and felt amazed at his magnificent guard posture.


    Their departure from the scene did not leave any mark on Cole''s expression. He stayed perfectly still. His throat and chest showed no signs that he even needed to breathe. It was as if he was just a doll.


    <hr>


    Meanwhile, Kadota already made his way inside the mansion grounds. He already returned to his original tiefling form and wore his thief''s robe and hood to hide his red skin. Being that this was only a baron''s mansion, security was considerably lax than what he usually needed to deal with but there was a variable that he was not used to dealing with¡ªit''s currently daytime.


    Kadota looked towards the blue skies above to find his familiar owl flying above the mansion. His eyes shined purple and the owl was the same. It was as if they were both connected and relaying information to one another. He returned his attention to the ground again after a while.


    He''s currently hiding on top of one of the large trees in the mansion''s front courtyard. The tree''s shades are the perfect cover from the sun. He noticed that his current obstacle is two guards guarding the front door of the mansion that he needed to go through. But this was an easy fix, Kadota thought. He pointed his fingers at a bush in the opposite direction of him and a few dozen footsteps from where the guards are. The bush started to shake and sounds of relatively loud footsteps could be heard from it.


    "Huh?" One of the guards turned towards the direction of the voice.


    "I heard that too." The other guard said.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "I''ll check it out. You stay here." The guard who interjected first walked towards the direction.


    Kadota smiled. He pointed his finger at the guard who was still guarding the door. The guard suddenly felt something in his...loins. Something squishy, with a mud-like texture. He felt this substance moving around his groins and bottom like disgusting living slimes.


    "Uuh..." The guard''s eyes turned wide open. "....John!" He shouted to the other guard who was still walking slowly towards the source of the voice he heard.


    "WHAT!?" The walking guard turned his head around abruptly and had quite a pissed off expression.


    "I..uh...I think I might have had too much spicy food for lunch...I''ll be back!" The guard suddenly ran away at an incredible speed. However, he was running in an awkward manner with a noise of mud being stepped on coming from his leather pants.


    "What the fuck, Steve!" The other guard shouted. He sighed and returned his attention to the footsteps he heard.


    Kadota held a laugh. "That will never get old" He muttered quietly.


    He dropped down from the trees and made his way towards the mansion building. He did not walk towards the door but rather towards one of the walls. As he arrived, he looked up and jumped and climbed his way towards one of the windows on the third floor.


    "Thankfully, I''ve already been inside the mansion so I know where the Baron''s master bedroom is," Kadota whispered.


    He was now in front of the window on the third floor as his hands were still gripping the ridges along the wall. There was no way to open the lock from outside, but Kadota inserted a small device in one of the gaps and managed to open the lock from the inside. After it opened, Kadota quickly climbed inside and closed the window again.


    Kadota darted his eyes to scan the room in its entirety quickly, something he learned from his father. While a normal thief would look around the vicinity for valuables, Kadota''s mission was clear and there was only one thing he was looking for.


    It was perhaps not accurate to call the baron''s bedroom a room¡ªnot in the peasant''s definition of the word. Bedrooms made for nobility often consist of multiple rooms inside one room so that it could function as a private house within a larger mansion. In this particular room, Kadota landed at a small living room that would seemingly facilitate private meetings with important guests. If he looked towards the left, the was a room that leads to a study room with a work desk while on the right, the was another door leading towards the room with a bed and a bathroom. While the designs look luxurious to Kadota, it paled in comparison to the things that higher nobles have.


    "Father chose the perfect time to send this mission to me. The Baron is currently on a trip to the palace." Kadota muttered.


    As easy as this mission was, in Kadota''s point of view, he still wanted to finish it quickly. He made his way, not towards the study room but rather the room with the bed.


    "Baron Vasquez is not a paranoid man, from what I can gather. He wouldn''t hide things unless they are absolutely essential to his integrity. He was also a man that had no assistant that would carry his appointment book anywhere he went.Finally, he''snot a man that would even bring his appointment book with him as being a small Baron meant he did not need to meet someone every hour. So I wager that his appointment book would be in his...."


    Kadota made his way inside the room and found a note of red leather situated on the baron''s


    "...bedside." Kadota finished his deduction to no one in particular but himself. He was a man of theatrics.


    He smiled and picked up the book and started to scroll through it.


    "Let''s see...the last two weeks of appointments." Kadota found two pages detailing the time, place, and identity of the person he''s been meeting for the last two weeks.


    "Hmm?" Kadota found something peculiar in one of the schedules. "This one only had a time and place but no name of the person he''s meeting. It''s the only one like this in the entire book. Let''s see... one week ago. Is this what father wants?" He racked his brains for answers.


    Suddenly, multiple footsteps could be heard approaching the main door on the bedroom''s living room from outside. With it, the conversation of a voice belonging to man and woman could be heard.


    "Shit!" Kadota exclaimed. "I took too long." He put the book back and darted his eyes to find somewhere to hide.


    The footsteps neared and the door finally opened.

 Chapter 3

    The door opened and revealed a woman with a fashionable dress and a black-haired young man wearing a nobleman''s attire. They entered through the main room with the sofas and a table. The woman gestured towards one of the sofas so that the man could sit. They bot sat down across from one another.


    Meanwhile, Kadota decided to hide in a closet in that very same room as them, which happened to be empty.


    ''That''s Baron Vasquez''s wife, Maria. And that man...he doesn''t look right.'' Kadota thought as he peeked through a small opening in the closet''s door. It was indeed the case that the man looked out of place in his luxurious attire. For starters, Kadota did not know any nobles from this kingdom with his black hair. The only explanation would be if he was a foreign noble but The House''s information network has not notified him of this.


    "I sincerely apologize since my husband is currently away. This room is private enough to discuss our matters. Shall we start?" Maria spoke elegantly.


    "I''m afraid there is one more thing we must deal with before we start our discussion." The man smiled.


    Maria raised her eyebrows. "And that is?"


    "A rat."


    Kadota already noticed something was wrong from the man''s glances around the room. He reacted as quickly as he could. Kadota kicked the door opened in that very moment and jumped forward to perform a roll on the ground. This act saved his life as at the very same second, a small dagger already lodged itself inside the closet, specifically where Kadota''s head was just a split second ago.


    Kadota recovered and stood up. He took out his red rapier and readied his battle stance.


    Maria had a look of utter surprise for a second before freakishly returning to the normal face she had before. She suddenly stood up and did a noblewoman''s bow by raising her skirt with both hands.


    "I''ll bring tea and confectioneries from the kitchen. Excuse me." Maria left the room with confident stride before the sound of a locking door could be heard from the door she stepped away from.


    "This mansion''s security is quite sloppy, don''t you agree?" The man asked Kadota while smiling.


    Kadota did not reply.


    The man nodded. "Very good. A battle is not the time to be chatting. This is, after all, not one of Rakovsky''s plays"


    "That''s where I disagree." Kadota replied while smiling."I do like getting to know my enemies in the midst of the dance. It makes it all the more dramatic. I was simply silent because I was trying to figure out how you knew I was hiding there."


    "Ah!" The man''s eyes turned wide. "I thought you were one of those boring brutes. Are you also a man of culture? then forget what I just said. I am very much of the same standpoint as you"


    "You did not answer my question." Kadota frowned.


    "Isn''t it better narratively if I keep it a secret?" The man said while unsheathing the sword he was carrying on his waist.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Can''t argue with that. I''ll try to pry it off of your dead body." Kadota took several steps forward to approach the man.


    "A rapier? Did you take inspiration from Rakovsky''s The Bride of the Prince?" The man eyed Kadota''s beautiful red rapier with glee.


    "Indeed I did. But enough talking for now. I want to see how capable the man who managed to see through my hiding is." Kadota now stood only a striking distance from the man.


    "Personally, I prefer Habrick than Rakovsky. I find his works speak more about the human condition. Very well, let''s dance." The man replied.


    The two gentlemen stood in front of each other with each other''s tools of combat in contact with one another. After a few seconds of utter silence, it was Kadota who made the first move.


    Kadota initiated the duel not by using his rapier, but by doing a low sweeping leg kick in order to throw the man off balance. However, the man saw through it and jumped into the air. Kadota, as if expecting this already, looked up and stabbed his rapier in a vertical motion to aim at the man''s neck.


    "Not so fast!"


    The man parried the sword mid-air and managed a front kick to Kadota''s face. Fortunately, Kadota reacted just in time to block his foot with his free left hand. After the short bout, they backed off a few feet away from another as if the battle hasn''t even begun yet.


    "Not much sword fighting so far, don''t you think?" The man cheekily asked.


    "I was just trying to ensure my victory," Kadota replied.


    "Then you chose the wrong method."


    ''He''s right.'' Kadota thought. ''I could already tell that his overall strength is higher than mine from that kick alone. I can feel cracks in my left hand''s bones... I''m quite bad with fighter types like him''


    Kadota readjusted his stance. This time, his entire body seemed to indicate his newfound conviction.


    "Very well. Let''s parry our swords for real this time."


    The man simply nodded as a reply. The battle commenced again. Only now Kadota did not use any supplementary martial arts but rather solely relying on his swordsmanship using his rapier. The two parried swords like experts but it was clear which side was dominating.


    Kadota was quick to realize that this man was definitely more offensive than he is¡ªhis swordsmanship relied on powerful slashes that would break through enemy ranks. On the other hand, Kadota''s training as a spy meant that his swordsmanship relied on his dexterity instead. And while he could cleverly maneuver his rapier against the sword, it was clear that the man''s stamina outclassed him and if this duel went on for too long, he would be on the receiving end of something unpleasant.


    "Ugh!" Kadota''s defense slipped for a split second and a deep bloody gash appeared on his left shoulder.


    "Is this all you got?" The man mockingly asked.


    Kadota frowned and did not want to play into his games anymore. Fortunately, he managed to memorize the page that his Father required of him from Baron Vasquez''s appointment book so his job here was practically finished. While he was upset that this man managed to get the better of him by not only managing to detect him hiding but defeating him in combat, if he was captured then it would spell disaster for The House. He did not want to make a fool of himself by letting his brothers and sisters rescue him.


    "This is not over," Kadota muttered.


    "Hmm?" The man heard him but did not know what Kadota meant.


    Kadota stopped the exchanging of blows and very quickly jumped back. He raised his free hand and oozes of purple haze came out of his hand before suddenly a solid-looking stone wall appeared and separated the wall into two and in turn, separate the two combatants.


    Seeing this, the man stopped his movements and returned his sword to his sheath. He approached the wall slowly to touch it only to find that his hand went right through it. He quickly stepped forward inside the wall to reveal the other side of the room that was blocked. However, Kadota was now nowhere to be found. The window that was left open left a clue on where he went.


    The main door of the bedroom behind the man opened and Maria, Baron Vasquez''s wife entered the room again with a tray of confectioneries and tea.


    "You let him got away? That''s unusual" She asked, seemingly not even the slightest bit angry that the intruder escaped.


    "I took a liking to him but I wouldn''t have let him get away...He outsmarted me in that last move."


    The man turned around and smiled.


    "Do not fret, I will find him later. It is safe now, let''s continue our meeting."